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21 April 2004

Denim Bags(HKTDC Fashion - Leather Goods & Bags, Vol 02,2004)

Denim
Bags

Forever
Bag

Mayfair Far East Corp
Ltd produces a wide variety of denim bags with eye-catching prints for export
to the US, the UK, Japan and Italy

According to
one US fashion magazine, denim is "one of the world's oldest fabrics that
remains eternally young". If that is a clich, recall that scientists
also predict that denim-covered solar panels will "clothe" buildings
of the future. As a fashion fabric, denim retains a certain youthful and sexy
image that remains particularly true for bags, which are sturdy, and ornamental
while remaining ever practical.

This view is reinforced by Mayfair Far East
Corp Ltd, which produces denim bags in novel photo-printed versions often carrying
images of celebrities. These bags are hits with the younger set, according to
director and marketing manager Desmond Tong.

"Denim is very versatile,
and we produce many styles in printed fabrics and with trendy motif appliqus,"
he says. "The younger generation likes to carry tote bags that match their
jeans, but there is really no age tag and we find that printed denim carries a
special appeal."

Mayfair, founded in 1974, which also carries a wide range
of leather and PVC bags, grew rapidly. "In 1986, we opened our own plant
in Huadu City in Guangdong Province on the Chinese mainland," says Tong.

Noting
that the production facility has a total area of 10,000 square metres, a 900-strong
skilled workforce and a total monthly output of 250,000 bags, Tong adds, "We
produce for various famous and trendy brand names in the US, the UK, Italy, and
Japan. However, as we have confidentiality agreements I cannot disclose their
names."

He says that in-house designers create bags produced for the company's
Mondini and Bella Mondini labels, but not yet in denim.

A minimum order from
Mayfair is 1,000 bags for delivery 60-75 days after confirmation of order, while
FOB Hong Kong unit prices range from US$3.30-4.30.

Another leading producer,
with more than 19 years' experience in the manufacture of bags, recently launched
a line in denim. "Our denim hobo and tote bags are strong and attractive,"says
Universal Handbag Fty Ltd marketing manager Gloria Ip. "We anticipate they
will sell very well in our major markets in the UK, Japan and Italy as the style
is both classic and trendy."

Noting that denim has had a big revival in
recent years, and is once again a high fashion fabric, she says, "We also
make belts and caps to match the bags and coordinate as outfits."

Universal
sources high quality denim from the mainland, Taiwan and Korea. An 85,000-square-foot
factory in Dongguan on the mainland that employs 400 workers produces 80,000 handbags
a month. A minimum order is 300 bags per colour per style and delivery is promised
in 4-6 weeks. Prices for the new line of denim bags are available on request.

Denim
is often combined with suede and leather in bags made by Sparkle Wick Ltd. "We
produce these bags for internationally famous brands like Kenneth Cole,"
says marketing director Raymond Chow.

"We use the finest quality denim,
which is strong and waterproof, and we use suede and leather for decoration. Our
half-moon shoulder bags also make a definite fashion statement and we also produce
a small clutch bag that is suitable for many occasions," he says.

"Sales
have climbed steadily in recent years, and we hope to see a bigger increase in
2004," he adds. "We gained ISO 9002 certification in 2000, while our
quality control team has adopted the ISO 9000 standard."

The company,
founded in 1990, produces a combined total of 395,000 items a month at its 7,000
square metre factory in Dongguan that employs 750 workers. A minimum order is
500-1,000 bags, depending on the style, and delivery takes 45-55 days after order
confirmation. FOB Hong Kong unit prices range from US$3-6.

Meanwhile, according
to Isabella Ng, director of Eva Bella Development Co Ltd, "Denim bags have
always enjoyed steady sales. For the past two seasons, PVC seemed to be more popular
but demand for denim remained good."

Ng says her company makes bags for
several famous designer brands and also sells to large department stores in Europe,
the US, Australia, Japan and South America.

"Our in-house R&D and
design development teams produce new designs for our own seasonal collections
which we market under the name of Evabella. In addition to strong, sturdy denim
bags, we also produce PVC bags patched with denim," she adds.

The current
rate of production of denim bags reaches 100,000 pieces a month, while a minimum
order is 300 bags per style for delivery 30 days after confirmation. FOB Hong
Kong unit prices for denim bags range from US$2-5.

Denim fabric comes from the
mainland, Taiwan and Korea, for processing by 300 skilled workers at a 10,000-square-foot
factory on the mainland. Founded in 1991, Eva Bella also makes fashion handbags
and items of jewellery.

Showing that while demand for denim bags remains decidedly
keen, Hong Kong will continue to deliver the best bags in the right format.

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